Posted on 09/16/2025 4:50:44 PM PDT by Angelino97
A Los Angeles computer game developer who admitted operating a drone that crashed into and damaged a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft battling the Palisades Fire was sentenced Monday to a mix of prison and home detention.
Peter Tripp Akemann, 57, of Culver City, pleaded guilty in February to a federal class-A misdemeanor count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Akemann was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald to serve 14 days in federal prison, followed by 30 days’ home detention. He was also ordered to pay about $156,000 in restitution and fines.
As a result of the collision, the firefighting aircraft was taken out of service for a period of time and was not able to continue its firefighting mission, court papers show.
In a three-page letter to the court, Akemann expressed his “sincerest remorse and deepest apologies” to the crew of the Super Scooper and the citizens of Los Angeles for what he described as his “stupid and reckless” conduct.
He said he flew the drone partly out of “curiosity” to see damage caused by the Palisades fire and “out of concern for a friend” whose home was thought to be near the burn area. At some point, he wrote, he experienced signal loss and then lost contact with the drone...
He said he should have recognized that “operating a drone anywhere near an active wildfire and rescue operation was irresponsible, regardless of my intention to do no harm.”
As part of his plea agreement, filed in Los Angeles federal court, Akemann agreed to pay full restitution to the government of Quebec, which supplied the plane, and an aircraft repair company that handled the necessary fixes, the document states.
Akemann also agreed to complete 150 hours of community service...
(Excerpt) Read more at dailynews.com ...
How many homes burned down because this A-hole decided to fly his drone into an active firefighting airspace?
The homeowners should sue him into oblivion.
A couple of years in jail, forfeiture of any property he owns to anyone who can prove their property was destroyed because of his actions, and a lifetime ban on flying drones, driving, or flying on a plane, and at least a half-million-dollar fine.
Make an EXAMPLE out of this twit.
Attempted murder, terrorism should have been added.
How about he pays another $10 million for the properties that burned up because the Super Scooper was put out of service by him?
LOL...“out of concern for a friend”
The new “Asking for a friend” is “Flying for a friend”?
If I had been out flying and some dipshot crashed a drone into me it would have been his last act on earth.
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